Robert Kovacik is a multiple-award-winning American television journalist based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He is currently an

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

(

KNBC KNBC (channel 4) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network ...

) Los Angeles and can be seen worldwide across all NBC platforms. In 2018, Kovacik won the

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

for Outstanding Hard News Reporting. He was selected as Journalist of the Year at the 55th Southern California Journalism Awards in 2013. According to the judges, "Robert Kovacik has not only won the trust and respect of his audience, but he has won their hearts with solid reporting and integrity." Kovacik is known for bringing viewers a local perspective and in-depth coverage of national and international events, including the funeral of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, the royal wedding between

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...

and

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...

, the terrorist bombing in

Manchester, England Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, the extensive manhunt in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

for the mass killer in the 2023 Lewiston shootings, the

Route 91 Harvest Route 91 Harvest was a country music festival in the United States that was held annually in Paradise, Nevada, from 2014 to 2017 in the Las Vegas Village, a lot on Las Vegas Boulevard (former U.S. Route 91), directly across from the Luxor L ...

Festival massacre in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, the Pulse (nightclub) shooting in

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, the

Papal Conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The correspondent was later honored by British Consulate-General, Los Angeles, for his reporting of the Games. Kovacik also earned

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for his coverage of the Olympics, as well as the Papal Conclave in Italy and the mass shooting in Orlando. Kovacik was elected by his industry peers to serve three consecutive terms as President of the

Los Angeles Press Club The Los Angeles Press Club is an American journalism organization founded in 1913. It honors journalists through its annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and SoCal Journalism Awards. As of 2023, the Los Angeles Press Club hosted ...

. After Kovacik was termed out, he was named an Honorary Board member of the LA Press Club, with the title, President Emeritus. Kovacik is a three-time recipient of the

Genesis Awards The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSU ...

, presented by the

Humane Society of the United States Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI), is a global nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scop ...

, recognizing the best media coverage of animal protection issues. He has also served as Master of Ceremonies for the

Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...

's annual Valor Awards every year since 2017.

Education

Robert Kovacik holds an honors undergraduate

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. Kovacik also has an honors

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sch ...

. After graduating from Columbia, he spent over 5 years in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

before moving to California.

Early career

Kovacik began his career at 23 years of age when he became the youngest anchor in New York City for NIGHTWORLD at

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...

(PBS) primary member station,

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...

. In 1994, he relocated to Los Angeles to become an anchor and reporter for

KCOP-TV KCOP-TV (channel 13), branded Fox 11 Plus, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of MyNetworkTV. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet K ...

Career

Kovacik left KCOP in 2001, and was named the West Coast correspondent, anchor, and bureau chief for the newly formed

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...

and its nightly news show, ''National Geographic Today''. Kovacik joined

KNBC-TV KNBC (channel 4) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Co ...

in 2004. In 2006 a murder suspect chose to surrender to him live on-air., for which he received including a

Golden Mike Award The Golden Mike Award is a broadcast journalism award presented by the Radio and Television News Association (RTNA) of Southern California. Awards are given in the categories of television news and radio news. Eligibility is limited to a select g ...

and an Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2007 he was on location and struck by a police squad car carrying

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

. In 2008 he again made international headlines after an angry confrontation between then

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

Police Chief

William Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American businessman and former law enforcement officer who served two non-consecutive tenures as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016) and currently one of ...

and LA City Councilman Dennis Zine while Kovacik was reporting for ''Today in LA''. His exclusive examination into the

's 911 response times prompted the Mayor to call for an audit of the LAFD. His reporting on the investigation surrounding

President Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the att ...

's impeachment was included in the

Kenneth Starr Kenneth Winston Starr (July 21, 1946 – September 13, 2022) was an American lawyer and judge who as Special prosecutor, independent counsel authored the Starr Report, which served as the basis of the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He headed an i ...

Report (

Starr Report The ''Starr Report'', officially the Referral from Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr in Conformity with the Requirement of Title 28, United States Code, Section 595(c), is a Federal government of the United States, United States federal gove ...

), and his groundbreaking expose into overcrowded LA animal shelters helped force the city to change its laws.

Awards and honors

*2023 Golden Mike Award - A, Best 30 Minute Newscast, 11pm *2022 Golden Mike Award, Best Television “Live” Coverage of a News Story, "Live Slaughterhouse Escape" *2021 Emmy Award Nomination, Live Coverage of an Unscheduled Event, "Tiger Woods Crash" *2021 Southern California Journalism Award, Reporter, Public Service News, "The LAPD: Joining the Force" *2021 Golden Mike Award—Reporter, Best TV Sports Reporting, "An Olympic Hopeful at 60""The 72nd Golden Mike Awards: Honoring Excellence in Broadcast News: Television Winners: May 21, 2022,"
Radio and Television News Association of Southern California website. Retrieved Jan. 12, 2023. *2021 Golden Mike Award Nomination, Reporter, Best Live Coverage of a News Story, "Tiger Woods Crash" *2020 Golden Mike Award—Reporter, Best Continuing Coverage, "Kobe Bryant's Death""The 71st Golden Mike Awards: Honoring Excellence in Broadcast News: Television Winners,"
Radio and Television News Association of Southern California website. Retrieved Jan. 12, 2023. *2020 Golden Mike Award - A, Best 30 Minute Newscast, 11pm *2019: Genesis Award (Above and Beyond Award) - Reporter, "Life Connected—Canine on Call" *2019: Golden Mike Award - Anchor, Best 30 Minute Newscast, 11pm *2019: Golden Mike Award - Anchor, Best 60 Minute Newscast, 6pm *2019: Golden Mike Award - Reporter, Best Continuing Coverage, “Borderline Shooting.” *2019: Emmy Award, Live Special Events—News, “Borderline: One Year Later.” *2018: Emmy Award, Outstanding Hard News Reporting *2018: Emmy Award Nomination, Light News Story-Single Report, "Communicating on Canvas" *2017: Emmy Award, News Special, Orlando Shooting, *2017: Emmy Award Nomination, Serious News Story—Single Report, "Hidden Hazard" *2017: Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding News Feature Reporting *2017: nomination for "Light News Story (Single Report): ("Dive Warriors")" *2016: Emmy Award, Culture/History, "50 Watts" *2016: Emmy Nomination, Serious News Story—Single Report, "Hollywood Transgender Beating" *2016: Emmy Nomination, Light News Story—Multi-Part Report, "Fergus" *2016: Emmy Nomination, Outstanding Hard News Reporting *2016 Golden Mike Award, Best Business and Consumer Reporting, "Stolen Gas", *2016 Golden Mike Award, Best Political and Government Reporting, "LAPD and the Mafia Hitman: From Killer to Keynote Speaker" *2015 Emmy Award nomination, Outstanding Hard News Reporting *2015 Golden Mike Award, Best Light Feature Reporting, "Night Crawlers" *2014 Emmy Award, Light News Story-Multi-Part Report, "The Papal Conclave: SoCal at the Vatican" *2014 nomination for Emmy Award, "Outstanding News Feature Reporting" *2013 Emmy Award, Sports Series, "The Summer Olympics: SoCal Shines at the Summer Games" *2013 nomination for Emmy Award, Serious News Story, "LAFD Response Times" *2013 nomination for Emmy Awards, Light News Story, "Cash for your Crib" *2013 LA Press Club, "Television Journalist of the Year", Robert Kovacik *2013 ''Journalist of the Year'' at the 55th Southern California Journalism Awards *2013 LA Press Club, "Investigative Television Reporting", "LAFD Response Times: How Long Will You Wait." *2012 nomination for

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, "Outstanding Hard News Reporting" *2011

, "Crime/Social Issues" *2011 nomination for

, "Outstanding Light News Story: Hef Saves the Hollywood Sign" *2011 APTRA, "Best Documentary" *2010, Golden Mike Award for 'Best Documentary', "LA Heroes: Untold Stories of Haiti" *2009, nomination for

"Outstanding Feature Reporter" *2009, 2nd Place, LA Press Club National Entertainment Journalism Award *2009, APTRA 'Chris Harris Reporter of the Year' award *2008, Golden Mike Award, "Paparazzi Task Force" *2008, nomination for

, 'Light News Story – Single Report' *2007, nomination for

for 'Murder Suspect Surrenders' *2007, Edward R. Murrow Award "Best Spot News Coverage" *2006, Golden Mike Award "Best Spot News Coverage' *2006, Genesis Award, "Elephant Exhibit at the LA Zoo" *2000,

for "Serious News Report" *1999, nomination for

for 'Informational/Public Affairs Series' *1999, nomination for

for 'Serious News Story – Single Report' *1998, nomination for

for 'Live Sports Coverage' *1998, Emmy Award, 'Host, Outstanding Special Programming' *1998,

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...

Press Club A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press Club ...

Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

for 'Best Serious Feature Reporting' *1997, nomination for

for 'Serious News Story' *1997,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

for 'Continuing Investigation' *1997, Multi-Part

Genesis Award The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSU ...

for 'Best Series Serious News Story' *1995, First Place in 'Best of the West' Competition for 'Outstanding Local Television News Series, Growth and Urban Development Reporting"

References

External links

*
Robert Kovacik
at

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovacik, Robert American broadcast news analysts American television reporters and correspondents Living people Television anchors from Los Angeles NBC News people Brown University alumni Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni Year of birth missing (living people) University School alumni